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Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott celebrates after a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFL football game at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016, in Arlington. The Cowboys won the game 26-20. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)

ARLINGTON -- The way Ezekiel Elliott has performed during a magical rookie season, he might as well have popped up from a pot of gold Sunday.

Instead, Elliott used the Salvation Army's red kettle as a prop behind the end zone to celebrate a first-half touchdown that was just the start of a career night for the MVP favorite.

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Elliott rushed two yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter and didn't stop running until he had jumped into a waist-high red kettle. Elliott knelt down in the kettle before popping up to peak over the edge.

Tampa Bay had trouble finding Elliott the rest of the night as he darted, dashed and powered his way to a career-best 159 rushing yards on 23 carries.

Elliott said the touchdown celebration was planned. He had checked the kettle pregame to make sure nothing would prevent him from jumping inside.

"That bucket is just sitting right there by the end zone," Elliott said, "so it's only right someone jumps in it."

Elliott was flagged 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, which pushed the Cowboys' kickoff back. He's also certainly going to be fined by the NFL for using a prop to celebrate a touchdown.

Elliott said that he'd match whatever fine the NFL gives him and donate the money to the Salvation Army, which uses the Red Kettle Campaign as a major fundraiser each year.

Since partnering with the Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones two decades ago, the Red Kettle Campaign has raised more than $2 billion.

Jones enjoyed Elliott's touchdown celebration and challenged the NFL after the game.

"I know that more people were aware of what the Salvation Army is about now maybe than any other way that we can do it," Jones said. "My dream would be for the NFL to really fine me a lot of money and I'll take them to the Supreme Court and we'll get the Salvation Army more attention than anybody can get them, so let's go. If we can get it really stirred up, I'd like to. We can have some fun with that."

Jones had plenty of fun over the weekend. A day after he watched his grandson, John Stephen Jones, lead Highland Park to a state title at AT&T Stadium, he watched Elliott's performance Sunday against the Buccaneers.

Elliott was as good as he's been all season against Tampa Bay, and that's saying something.

Elliott had seven runs of 10 yards or more, including a 42-yarder through the right side in the fourth quarter that set up the Cowboys' final field goal, which extended the lead to six.

A week after Elliott had four carries for minus-1 yard in the fourth quarter at the Giants, he finished strong against Tampa Bay. Elliott rushed eight times for 78 yards in the fourth quarter and pulverized a Buccaneers' defense that was peaking.

"We were able to get him going there and he was able to finish some serious runs there in the end," Cowboys right guard Zack Martin said. "When he gets out on the edge on those DBs he runs them over. He's a big-play guy, and he has ton of energy."

Elliott now has 310 carries for a league-leading 1,551 yards. That's more rushing yards than any running back had in the NFL in 2015.

Elliott's red-kettle touchdown gave him 13 for the season, breaking the franchise season rookie record of 12 held by Tony Dorsett and Herschel Walker.

"He was actually talking about that pregame, should he do it, would they fine him," Prescott said. "I didn't know he was going to go down and come back up slow. I wouldn't have done it, but I got a good laugh out of it."

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Cowboys coach Jason Garrett wasn't as thrilled. Elliott said Garrett told him to be careful with the touchdown celebrations when they lead to a penalty.

But even the 15-yard penalty didn't really cost the Cowboys in the end, with Dallas' kickoff coverage team stopping Tampa Bay at the 22 on the return.

"You know that was a divine touch from up above," Jones said. "They didn't gain anything from it."

Elliott was already among the MVP favorites before he helped the Cowboys improve to 12-2 on Sunday. The red-kettle exposure won't hurt his cause. Of course, his 1,500-yard season is nice, too.

"It's what we expected," Elliott said. "I wanted to come here, come here with all the right tools. I have a lot of great players around me. I have the best O-line in football.

"We demand greatness out of ourselves. We know how good we can be."

Breaking 100

Rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott had his seventh 100-yard rushing game this season. With 1,551 yards, he needs 258 yards over the remaining two games to break Eric Dickerson's rookie rushing mark of 1,808.

Yards

Opponent

Date

159

Tampa Bay

Dec. 18

157

at Green Bay

Oct. 16

140

Chicago

Sept. 25

138

at San Francisco

Oct. 2

134

Cincinnati

Oct. 9

114

at Pittsburgh

Nov. 13

107

at New York Giants

Dec. 11

Elliott gets mark

Ezekiel Elliott set the franchise record for rushing touchdowns by a rookie with his 2-yard run in the second quarter.

TDs

Player

Year

13

Ezekiel Elliott

2016

12

Tony Dorsett

1977

12

Herschel Walker

1986

11

Emmitt Smith

1990

8

Calvin Hill

1969

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